Operation Herkules - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Operation Herkules Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Operation Herkules / Operazione C3 Outcome Cancelled in November 1942 Operation Herkules was the German code-name given to a planned but never-executed Italo-German invasion of Malta during World War II (the Italian code-name was Operazione C3). Through combined air and sea landings, the Axis powers hoped to eliminate Malta as a British air and naval base and secure an uninterrupted flow of supplies across the Mediterranean Sea to their forces fighting in Libya and Egypt. Though extensive preparations were made by both German and Italian military forces, the rapidly changing war situation in North Africa resulted in the plan's cancellation in July 1942. Contents 7 External links Origins The Axis plan to invade Malta had its origin in Italian military studies conducted in the mid-1930s during Italy's conquest of Ethiopia .

By 1938, the Italian army command had estimated the amount of sea transport it would require to move significant military forces into North Africa and identified the seizure of Malta as a necessary prerequisite. An outline plan for a seaborne assault was drawn up and periodically updated but the Regia Marina (Italian Navy) initially showed little interest in it. [1] The concept was approved at a meeting between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini on 29 April - 30 April 1942. Axis Plans and Preparations The planning for this attack was extensive. Airborne forces German DFS 230 assault gliders slated for Herkules were equipped with braking (or "crane") parachutes. These shortened the aircraft's landing run and allowed for more precise placement near an objective. Overall command of Herkules' airborne component was given to Major-General Kurt von Student and his XI Fliegerkorps. Student had previously planned and executed the German airborne assault on Crete in April 1941. In contrast with the hasty planning necessary for that operation, Student now had months to prepare and he determined not to repeat the mistakes made previously on Crete.

Knowledge of the enemy's defensive positions on Malta was extensive, thanks to meticulous aerial mapping. Every fortification, artillery emplacement and AA battery was carefully noted and scrutinized. Student claimed later that "We even knew the caliber of the coastal guns, and how many degrees they could be turned inland." [2] Ten Gruppen of Junkers Ju 52 transports, totaling 500 aircraft, were allocated for the air landings along with 300 DFS 230 gliders (carrying ten men each) and 200 larger Go 242 gliders (carrying 23 men each or a light vehicle/gun). [2] The Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) would contribute approximately 180-220 transport aircraft, mostly three-engined SM.75s (carrying 24-28 men each), SM.81s (carrying 12-14 men each) and SM.82s (carrying 30-34 men each).

Ref Given the short distance (90 miles) between Axis airfields on Sicily and the planned drop zones over Malta, it was possible for the motorized transports to make four round-trips per day. [2] They were to drop one Italian and one German airborne division onto the southern side of the island. The paratroopers had two primary objectives: securing the high ground behind the invasion beaches and seizing a nearby airfield so Axis transport aircraft could quickly land an additional division and supplies. [3] Airborne units slated for the invasion included Germany's 7th Fliegerdivision (11,000 men) plus Italy's Folgore Paratroop Division (7,500 men) and La Spezia Airlanding Division (10,500 men) for a total of approximately 29,000 airborne troops. [3] Additional preparations for the airborne assault included construction of three glider strips 25 miles south of Mount Etna on the island of Sicily. Amphibious forces The seaborne assault force comprised a total of 70,000 Italian ground troops.

They were to make amphibious landings at two points on the southern side of the island, with the main effort falling upon a site designated Famagosta and a smaller secondary landing at a place designated Larnaca. Also to be seized were the lesser islands of Gozo and Comino. Amphibious feints would be directed at St. Paul's Bay, Mellieha Bay and NW of Valletta near the old Victoria Lines to draw British attention away from the actual landing sites. [4] The main assault convoy was scheduled to begin landing on Malta just before midnight on the first day of the invasion, after the airborne forces had already landed during the afternoon hours and secured the heights above the selected beaches. The bulk of the first-wave assault troops would come from the Friuli Infantry Division (10,000men) and Livorno Infantry Division (9,850 men) of the Italian XXX Corps.

Also included were 1,200 men from the 1st Assault Battalion and Loreto Battalion (both drawn from the Regia Aeronautica); two battalions of San Marco Marines (totaling 2,000 men); three battalions of Blackshirts (totaling 1,900 men) and 300 Nuotatori (a commando unit of San Marco marines specially trained in ocean swimming and beach assault). Armor support comprised nineteen Semovente 47/32 and eight Semovente 75/18 self-propelled guns plus thirty L3 light tanks (comparable in size and armament to the British Bren Gun Carrier ). [5] The follow-up convoy would be comprised mainly of troops from the Italian XVI Corps: the Assieta Infantry Division (9,000 men) and the Napoli Infantry Division (8,900 men) along with attached artillery assets (3,200 men). It would also include the remainder of the 10th Armor Regiment (3,800 men).

The Superga Infantry Division (9,200 men) plus a battalion of Blackshirts and a small detachment of San Marco marines (for a total of 1,000 additional men) were to be in position to land on the smaller island of Gozo in the early morning hours of the second day. [5] Additional armor intended for Herkules included 2.Kompanie/Panzerabteilung z.b.V.66, a German unit partly made up of captured Russian tanks. A mix of ten KV-1 (46-ton) and KV-2 (53-ton) heavy tanks are thought to have been made available for the invasion and at least ten Italian motozattere (landing craft) were modified with reinforced flooring and internal ramps to carry and off-load these vehicles. Other tanks in the unit included captured Russian T-34 medium tanks, up-armored German light tanks ( VK 1601s and VK 1801s ) and German Panzer IVGs armed with 75mm guns, but it is uncertain whether any or all of them were to be landed on Malta.

Ref An additional twenty German Panzer III medium tanks were offered for use in the invasion but it is not known what unit these were to be drawn from. [4] Two days were allowed for the main amphibious assault and landing of the follow-up convoy, though this was heavily dependent on quickly securing Marsaxlokk Bay which would allow heavier artillery pieces and a much higher tonnage of supplies to be brought in. [6] Getting ashore German MFPs like this one were transferred to the Mediterranean to supplement Italian-built landing craft intended for the invasion of Malta. Lacking enough landing craft for a major amphibious assault, the Regia Marina secured design plans from the German Kriegsmarine to build copies of the Marinefährprahm Type A (MFP) in Italian shipyards. These 220-ton shallow-draft vessels were capable of transporting up to 200 fully-equipped infantrymen, 2-3 medium tanks or an equivalent weight in cargo, and could unload directly onto an open beach via a drop-down bow ramp. Sixty-five of these motozattere (MZs) were completed by July 1942 and about 50 were available for the invasion [7] .

A further 20 German MFPs were transferred to the Mediterranean via the Rhone River to make up for an expected shortfall of Italian-built landing craft. Additional German-operated landing craft sent to Italy via rail for the invasion included twelve Siebel ferries (catamaran rafts powered by automobile engines driving water screws and armed with a mix of 88mm and 20mm flak guns), six Type 39 Pionierlandungsboote (carrying 20 tons of cargo, 2 light vehicles or 45 infantrymen and unloaded via clamshell doors at the bow), six Type 40 Pionierlandungsboote (a larger version of the Type 39, carrying 40 tons of cargo, three or four light vehicles or 80-90 fully-equipped infantrymen), a company of eighty-one Sturmboote (Type 39 Stormboats, small plywood boats carrying up to six infantrymen and powered by 30hp outboard motors) plus an assortment of large inflatable rafts (carrying 25 infantrymen each). Some of these rafts were powered by outboard motors and some were propelled by oars alone.

Ref The Italians assembled a varied collection of other naval craft to transport the amphibious forces. These included two former Strait of Messina railroad ferries (converted to carry 4-8 tanks each); ten passenger ships (800-1,400 men each); six former passenger ferries (400 men each); six cargo ships (3,000 tons of supplies each); 30 ex-trawlers (300 men each); five converted minelayers (500 men each); and 74 assorted motorboats (30-75 men each). The Italians also requested the use of 200 additional German Sturmboote to assist in quickly transferring men from ship to shore. Ref Specialized landing equipment slated for Herkules included the Seeschlange (Sea Snake), a floating ship-to-shore bridge originally developed by the German Army for Operation Sealion . It was formed from a series of joined modules that could be towed into place and act as a temporary jetty. Moored ships could then unload their cargo either directly onto the "roadway" or lower it down onto it via their heavy-duty ship's booms.

The Seeschlange had been tested by the Army Training Unit at Le Havre in the fall of 1941 and was easily transportable by rail. [8] Naval escort The Regia Marina had the two-fold task of protecting the invasion convoys from attacks by Britain's Mediterranean Fleet and providing off-shore gunfire support during the landings. The force assigned to accomplish this included four Italian battleships ( Littorio , Vittorio Veneto, Caio Duilio , Andrea Doria ), four heavy cruisers, eight light cruisers and 21 destroyers. These ships would sortie and assemble from the ports of Messina, Reggio Calabria, Augusta and Cagliari. The two older Duilio-class battleships would carry approximately 200 rounds each for shore bombardment missions. [4] Italian and German submarines were also to be deployed for scouting purposes and for intercepting any British naval forces attempting to interfere with the seaborne landings. One submarine was to be stationed midway between Sicily and Malta and act as a guide beacon for the transport planes on their way to and from the drop zones.

[4] The Italians were confident they could fend off any daylight incursions by Britain's Royal Navy, especially given the German Luftwaffe's ability to dominate the daytime skies, but there were legitimate concerns the Italian fleet would face serious difficulties if the British sought to disrupt the seaborne landings by night. [6] Lacking ship-borne radar and neglectful in providing night-fighting training and equipment to its naval forces, the Regia Marina had fared badly during a night action with British forces off Cape Matapan in March 1941. A similar encounter off Malta might wreak havoc on the slow-moving Axis invasion convoys, leaving the airborne forces cut off and imperiling Axis chances of taking the island.

[9 ] The Italian Navy had made some efforts to rectify this situation by equipping the battleship Littorio with an experimental E.C.-3/bis Gufo (Owl) radar apparatus in August 1941 but the unit was considered unreliable (not until September 1942 did Littorio receive a standardised production-version Gufo with better performance; this set could detect surface ships at a range of 17 nmi (31 km; 20 mi) and aircraft out to a range of 45 nmi (83 km; 52 mi)). [9 ] In September 1941, while awaiting production of Italian-made radar units in quantity, the Regia Marina requested from the Kriegsmarine installation of a FuMO 24/40 G DeTe unit on Italy's newest destroyer, Legionario (then still under construction). DeTe units could detect surface ships up to 14 nmi (26 km; 16 mi) away. By March 1942, the requested set had been delivered and installed and a small group of Italian ratings had undergone training in Germany on its use.

Operational testing began that spring and, by May, fleet commander Vice-Adm. Iachino had submitted a report praising its performance. [9 ] Malta's defenses In 1942 the main garrison forces on Malta consisted of 15 infantry battalions (11 Commonwealth, 4 Maltese) organized into four brigades totaling 26,000 men. Armor support was provided by the 1st Independent Troop of the Royal Tank Regiment. This unit was equipped with Matilda II "Infantry Tanks", armed with 2-pounder (40mm) guns and Vickers Mk VI-C light tanks, armed with two machine guns. Exactly how many tanks this regiment possessed at the time remains unclear, but likely no more than ten were present on the island. [10] Also on hand was the 12th Field Regt, Royal Artillery. This unit had two dozen 25-pounder (3.45-inch) field guns, capable of providing indirect fire support out to a range of 11 km (6.8 mi) and covering most of the island while remaining in protected static positions.

[10] Malta's fixed defenses included 19 coastal guns (varying in size from 12-inch to 16-inch), 130 smaller coastal guns (4.7-inch to 9.2-inch), 112 heavy and 144 light anti-aircraft guns. [1] Ref Fate A date near mid-July 1942 was set for the invasion, partly to allow time to bring troops from other frontline positions and partly because Hitler believed the Italian Navy was no match for the Royal Navy. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel supported the idea of seizing Malta, to the point that he personally asked Hitler to allow him to command the invasion forces. His reasons for supporting an invasion were to hinder the Allied troops fighting in Africa, as well as remove the threat to the convoys heading to Rommel with supplies, oil, and men, of all which he was desperately low on. He put the emphasis on the attack to such an extreme that he was willing to move units from his front for the attack. The head of the German Luftwaffe , Herman Goering , opposed the invasion, fearing it would turn into another near-disaster for his paratroops, as had happened on Crete.

General Field Marshal Albert Kesselring tirelessly promoted Operation Herkules but even he was eventually dissuaded when it became apparent that too many air and ground units had been siphoned off to support Rommel's drive into Egypt, thereby significantly diminishing any chance of Herkules' success. This, along with Hitler's lack of faith in the paratrooper divisions as a result of the Invasion of Crete and in the Italian Navy's ability to protect the invasion fleet from British naval attacks, led to scrapping of the plan. References Ansel, Walter (1972). Hitler and the Middle Sea. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0822302247 Bekker, Cajus (1975). The Luftwaffe War Diaries. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0306806049 Gabriele, Mariano (1965). Operazione C3: Malta. Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare. Greene, Jack; Alessandro Massignani (1998). The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940-1943. Chatham Publishing.

ISBN 978-1861760579 Greene, Jack; Alessandro Massignani (Jan/Feb 1993). "The Summer of '42: The Proposed Axis Invasion of Malta". Command Magazine (No. 20). Heckmann, Wolf (1981). Rommel's War in Africa. Doubleday & Company. ISBN 0-385-14420-2 Kitchen, Martin (2009). Rommel's Desert War: Waging World War II in North Africa, 1941-1943. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521509718 Lucas, Laddie (1994). Malta: The Thorn in Rommel's Side (Large Print Ed. ed.). Ulverscroft Large Print. ISBN 0-7089-3169-3. Levine, Alan J. (2008). The War Against Rommel's Supply Lines, 1942-43. Stackpole Books.

ISBN 978-0811734585 Marcon, Tullio (1998). I Mule del Mare. Albertelli. ISBN 978-8887372021 O'Hara, Vincent P. (2009). Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1591146483 Sadkovich, James J. (1994). The Italian Navy in World War II. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0313287978 External links Planned Operations of World War II Planned Operations of World War II NOTE: This is an early version created by agglomerating information from Wikipedia. The descriptions are essentially straight from wikipedia. This is a placeholder to provide a place for starting research. It will be revised extensively as I research more into each operation and verify Wikipedia's claims. Soviet Union Saturn (1942) — Proposed major attack following the Stalingrad encirclement; revised to Little Saturn.

Sweden Rädda Danmark ("Save Denmark") (1945) — Swedish plan to liberate Denmark before the country was occupied by the Soviet Union (cancelled because of German surrender) Rädda Själland (1945) — Swedish landings on Zealand Rädda Bornholm (1945) — Swedish landings on Bornholm Spain C (1939) — Spanish plan for the seizure of Gibraltar British Empire Plan W (1942) – Joint British/Irish planning to deal with a German invasion of Ireland.

Operation Accolade (1942) proposed British occupation of Rhodes, and subsequently, failed occupation of the Dodecanese Operation Constellation (1943) — one of several proposals to retake the Channel Islands Operation Condor (1943) — proposal to retake Jersey Operation Concertina (1943) — proposal to retake Alderney Operation Coverlet (1943) — proposal to retake Guernsey Operation Comet (1944) - Early Version of Market Garden Operation Ventilate (1945) — cancelled assault crossing of the Maas by British 3rd Infantry Division Operation Backbone & Backbone II (1942 & 1943) — contingency plans to occupy Spanish Morocco and area around Gibraltar if Germans entered Spain Operation Challenger (?) — plan to seize Ceuta Operation Culverin (1943) — Proposed allied invasion of northern Sumatra Operation Zipper (1945) Planned British seaborne landing in Malaya.

Operation Catherine (1939) British plan to gain control of Baltic Sea Operation Jupiter (1942) — suggested invasion of Norway Operation R 4 (1940) — Planned British invasion of Norway United States of America Giant II — cancelled landing of U.S. 82nd Airborne near Rome. Operation Olympic Operation Roundup (1942) - plan to invade Europe in event of German or Soviet collapse. Operation Sledgehammer (1942) - establishment of beachhead in Cherbourg or Brest. Operation Roundhammer – Revised version of Roundup. Nazi Germany Fall Blau (Case Blue) 1935 - German defense planning on the eastern border, simultaneously with Fall Rot Fall Rot (Case Red) 1935 - German defense planning on the western border, simultaneously with Fall Blau. The 1940 version was used to invade France.

Fall Otto (Case Otto) 1937 - German plan to occupy Austria Fall Richard 1937 - German contingency planning for Soviet takeover of Spain Fall Rot 1937 - German planned invasion of Czechoslovakia Fall Grün 1938 - German plan for invasion of Czechoslovakia Fall Otto 1938 - German plan to establish a puppet government in Austria Unternehmen Nordwest 1939 - German study for a potential invasion of Britain; parts of Operation Nordwest were integrated into Operation Seelöwe Plan Z 1939 - German plan to expand the Kriegsmarine to match the strength of the British Royal Navy Unternehmen Felix 1940 - German planned invasion of Gibraltar via the Iberian Peninsula Unternehmen Seelöwe 1940 - German planned invasion of Britain; anglicised as 'Sealion' Fall Grün (Case Green) 1940 - German plan for a diversionary invasion of Ireland in support of Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Grüne Bewegung 1940 - German planned landing at Brighton, England; part of Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Herbstreise (Autumn Journey) 194

0 - German planned diversionary invasion of Scotland, Britain; part of Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Hummel 1940 - German intelligence gathering for Operation Seelöwe Dietrich (1942) — planned counter-attack to relieve Sixth Army using Grossdeutschland & LSSAH.

Unimplemented.

Unternehmen Ikarus 1940 - German planned invasion of Iceland in response to British Operation Fork; originally planned to launch in conjunction with Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Kathleen 1940 - German planned invasion of Ireland Unternehmen Lucie 1940 - German planned invasion of the Dutch island of Texel in the North Sea Unternehmen Löwe 1940 - German planned invasion of Britain; precursor of Operation Seelöwe Unternehmen Spark 1940 - German planned assassination of Adolf Hitler and coup d'état against the Nazi German government Unternehmen Tannenbaum (Christmas Tree) 1940 - German planned invasion of Switzerland Unternehmen Wal 1940 - German aborted plan to coordinate actions with Scottish and Welsh nationalist groups Unternehmen Fritz 1941 - German planned invasion of the Soviet Union; later abandoned in favor of Operation Barbarossa Unternehmen Isabella 1941 - German planned invasion of the Iberian Peninsula Unternehmen Strafe 1941 - German planned invasion of Bulgaria Unternehmen Südwind 1941 - German defense plan against a general uprising in occupied France Unternehmen Alpenveilchen (Alpine Violet) 1941 - German aborted planned intervention during the

 Italian invasion of Albania Unternehmen Sportpalast 1942 - Failed planned naval operation to attack Arctic convoys PQ-12 and QP-8 Fall Anton 1942 - German occupation of Vichy France with Italian support in 1942 Unternehmen Bettelstab 1942 - German planned offensive at Leningrad, USSR Unternehmen Donnerschlag 1942 - German planned break-out movement from Stalingrad, USSR Unternehmen Gertrud 1942 - German planned response in case of Turkey joining the Allies Unternehmen Gisella 1942 - German planned invasion of the Iberian peninsula; revised from Operation Isabella Unternehmen Herbstzeitlose 1942 - German cancelled planned plan to advance to the Don and Volga Rivers in the Caucasus region of Southern USSR Unternehmen Herkules 1942 - German planned airborne invasion of Malta Unternehmen Hornbläser 1942 - German planned attack on Alexandria harbor, Egypt Unternehmen Ilona 1942 - German planned invasion of the Iberian peninsula; revised from Operation Isabella Unternehmen Lila 1942 - German attempt to capture French fleet at Toulon, France Unternehmen Mö

we I 1942 - German planned operation to sabotage aluminum factories in southern Scotland, Britain Unternehmen Nordlicht 1942 - German planned attack on Leningrad, USSR; formerly planned as Operation Feuerzauber Unternehmen Nordpol 1942 - German cancelled planned operation east of Moscow, USSR Unternehmen Pastorious 1942 - German plan to sabotage industrial targets at Long Island, New York, United States Unternehmen Schamil 1942 - German planned operation to secure Caucasus oil fields in Southern USSR using paratroopers Unternehmen Silberstreife 1942 - German planned operations against Allied convoys to Murmansk, USSR Unternehmen Brunhild 1943 - German planned evacuation from the Caucasus region in Southern USSR Unternehmen Husar 1943 - German cancelled planned anti-shipping operation in Kara Sea by Lützow Unternehmen Michael 1943 - German cancelled planned evacuation of Crimea Unternehmen Nürnberg 1943 - German planned response in case of an Allied invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, focusing largely around the defense of the Pyrenees passes Unternehmen Panzerfaust 1943 - German operation to kidnap Miklós Horthy's son

 to prevent Horthy from siding with the Allies; codename later changed to Maus Unternehmen Rabat 1943 - German plan to kidnap the Pope from the Vatican City Unternehmen Schwarz 1943 - German plan in the event of an Italian surrender Unternehmen Ulm 1943 - German planned aerial bombing operation against Soviet industries in the Ural Mountains Unternehmen Wunderland II 1943 - German planned naval operation involving Admiral Scheer in the East Siberian Sea Fall Falke 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Norway Fall Forelle I 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of the Balkans via the Adriatic Sea Fall Forelle II 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of the Balkans via the Aegean Sea Unternehmen Freischütz 1944 - German cancelled planned operation to occupy the island of Vis off Croatia, Yugoslavia Unternehmen Großer Schlag 1944 - German planned mass-deployment of fighters against Allied bombers Unternehmen Herbstnebel 1944 - German rejected plan to withdraw German troops in Italy behind the Po River Unternehmen Laura 1944 -

 German proposed planned evacuation of Courland, Latvia Fall Marder 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Italy; activated after Allies launched Operation Shingle Fall Marder I 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Italy via the Ligurian Sea; part of Fall Marder Fall Marder II 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Italy via the Adriatic Sea; part of Fall Marder Unternehmen Martin 1944 - German planned attack of the Ardennes region as proposed by Gerd von Rundstet; rejected by Adolf Hitler for being too conservative Unternehmen Richard 1944 - German defense plan in case of an Allied invasion of Italy; activated after Allies launched Operation Shingle Unternehmen Tanne West 1944 - German planned invasion of the Åland Islands in the Baltic Sea from Finland Unternehmen Walküre 1944 - German attempt to overthrow Adolf Hitler, written under the cover of a plan to foil potential worker rebellions; Anglicized as 'Valkyre' Unternehmen Zeppelin 1944 - German failed operation to destroy power plants in Moscow, USSR Unternehmen Aktion 

24 1945 - German aborted planned suicide aerial attack on bridges over river Weichsel in attempt to disrupt Soviet supply lines Unternehmen Alpenfestung 1945 - German plan for a redoubt in the German Alps Unternehmen Gertraud 1945 - German planned aerial bombing of hydropower plants east of Moscow, USSR Imperial Japan Operation FS 1944 - Japanese cancelled plan to isolate Australia by capturing New Caledonia, Samoa, and Fiji Operation Ketsu-Go 1945 - Japanese defense plan against potential American invasion of the Japanese home islands Operation Ken 1945 - Cancelled Japanese operation to use transports to land suicide troops on American airfields in the Mariana Islands Operation Kon-Go 1945 - Cancelled Japanese offensive against American ships using manned torpedoes Bibliography Operation Hercules | Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing - eBooks | Read eBooks online 7 External links Origins The Axis plan to invade Malta had its origin in Italian military studies conducted in the mid-1930s during Italy's conquest of Ethiopia.

By 1938, the Italian army command had estimated the amount of sea transport it would require to move significant military forces into North Africa and identified the seizure of Malta as a necessary prerequisite. An outline plan for a seaborne assault was drawn up and periodically updated but the Regia Marina (Italian Navy) initially showed little interest in it. [1] The concept was approved at a meeting between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini on 29–30 April 1942. Axis plans and preparations The planning for this attack was extensive. Airborne forces Overall command of Herkules' airborne component was given to Generalmajor Kurt Student and his XI Fliegerkorps. Student had previously planned and executed the German airborne assault on Crete in April 1941. In contrast with the hasty planning necessary for that operation, Student now had months to prepare and he determined not to repeat the mistakes made previously on Crete. Knowledge of the enemy's defensive positions on Malta was extensive, thanks to meticulous aerial mapping. Every fortification, artillery emplacement and AA battery was carefully noted and scrutinised.

Student claimed later that "We even knew the calibre of the coastal guns, and how many degrees they could be turned inland." [2] Ten Gruppen of Junkers Ju 52 transports, totaling 500 aircraft, were allocated for the air landings along with 300 DFS 230 gliders (carrying ten men each) and 200 larger Go 242 gliders (each carrying 23 men or a light vehicle/gun). [2] Also to be included were two dozen Me 321 Gigant gliders capable of carrying up to 200 fully equipped paratroopers or a 25-ton tank. These were to be towed by the newly developed He 111Z (Zwilling), a five-engined modification of the He 111 medium bomber.

[3] The Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) would contribute approximately 180-220 transport aircraft, mostly three-engined SM.75s (carrying 24-28 men each), SM.81s (carrying 12-14 men each) and SM.82s (carrying 30-34 men each). [4] Given the short distance (90 miles) between Axis airfields on Sicily and the planned drop zones over Malta, it was possible for the motorized transports to make four round-trips per day. [2] They were to drop one Italian and one German airborne division onto the southern side of the island. The paratroopers had two primary objectives: securing the high ground behind the invasion beaches and seizing a nearby airfield so Axis transport aircraft could quickly land an additional division and supplies. [5] Airborne units slated for the invasion included Germany's 7.

Fliegerdivision (11,000 men) plus Italy's Folgore Paratroop Division (7,500 men) and La Spezia Airlanding Division (10,500 men) for a total of approximately 29,000 airborne troops. [5] Additional preparations for the airborne assault included construction of three glider strips 25 miles south of Mount Etna on the island of Sicily. Amphibious forces The seaborne assault force comprised a total of 70,000 Italian ground troops. They were to make amphibious landings at two points on the southern side of the island, with the main effort falling upon a site designated Famagosta and a smaller secondary landing at a place designated Larnaca. Also to be seized were the lesser islands of Gozo and Comino. Amphibious feints would be directed at St. Paul's Bay, Mellieha Bay and northwest of Valletta near the old Victoria Lines to draw British attention away from the actual landing sites.

[6] The main assault convoy was scheduled to begin landing on Malta just before midnight on the first day of the invasion, after the airborne forces had already landed during the afternoon hours and secured the heights above the selected beaches. The bulk of the first-wave assault troops would come from the Friuli Infantry Division (10,000 men) and Livorno Infantry Division (9,850) of the Italian XXX Corps. Also included were 1,200 men from the 1st Assault Battalion and Loreto Battalion (both drawn from the Regia Aeronautica); two battalions of San Marco Marines (2,000); three battalions of Blackshirts (1,900) and 300 Nuotatori (a commando unit of San Marco marines specially trained in ocean swimming and beach assault). Armour support comprised nineteen Semovente 47/32 and eight Semovente 75/18 self-propelled guns plus thirty L3 light tanks (comparable in size and armament to the British Bren Gun Carrier ).

[7] The follow-up convoy would be mainly made up of troops from the Italian XVI Corps: the Assieta Infantry Division (9,000) and the Napoli Infantry Division (8,900) along with attached artillery assets (3,200). It would also include the remainder of the 10th Armour Regiment (3,800). The Superga Infantry Division (9,200) plus a battalion of Blackshirts and a small detachment of San Marco Marines (1,000) were to be in position to land on the smaller island of Gozo in the early morning hours of the second day. [7] Additional armour intended for Herkules included 2.Kompanie/Panzerabteilung z.b.V.66, a German unit partly equipped with captured Russian tanks. A mix of ten Two days were allowed for the main amphibious assault and landing of the follow-up convoy, though this was heavily dependent on quickly securing Marsaxlokk Bay which would allow heavier artillery pieces and a much higher tonnage of supplies to be brought in.

[9] Getting ashore Lacking enough landing craft for a major amphibious assault, the Regia Marina secured design plans from the German Kriegsmarine to build copies of the Marinefährprahm Type A (MFP) in Italian shipyards. These 220-ton shallow-draught vessels were capable of transporting up to 200 fully equipped infantrymen, 2-3 medium tanks or an equivalent weight in cargo, and could unload directly onto an open beach via a drop-down bow ramp. Sixty-five of these motozattere (MZs) were completed by July 1942 and about 50 were available for the invasion. [10] A further 20 German MFPs were transferred to the Mediterranean via the river Rhone to make up for an expected shortfall of Italian-built landing craft.

Additional German-operated landing craft sent to Italy via rail for the invasion included twelve Siebel ferries (catamaran rafts powered by automobile engines driving water screws and armed with a mix of 88mm and 20mm flak guns), six Type 39 Pionierlandungsboote (carrying 20 tons of cargo, 2 light vehicles or 45 infantrymen and unloaded via clamshell doors at the bow), six Type 40 Pionierlandungsboote (a larger version of the Type 39, carrying 40 tons of cargo, three or four light vehicles or 80-90 fully equipped infantrymen), a company of eighty-one Sturmboote (Type 39 Stormboats, small plywood boats carrying up to six infantrymen and powered by 30 hp outboard motors) plus an assortment of large inflatable rafts (carrying 25 infantrymen each). Some of these rafts were powered by outboard motors and some were propelled by oars alone. [4] The Italians assembled a varied collection of other naval craft to transport the amphibious forces.

These included two former Strait of Messina railway ferries (converted to carry 4-8 tanks each); ten passenger ships (800-1,400 men each); six former passenger ferries (400 men each); six cargo ships (3,000 tons of supplies each); 30 ex-trawlers (300 men each); five converted minelayers (500 men each); and 74 assorted motorboats (30-75 men each). The Italians also requested the use of 200 additional German Sturmboote to assist in quickly transferring men from ship to shore. [4] Specialised landing equipment slated for Herkules included the Seeschlange (Sea Snake), a floating ship-to-shore bridge originally developed by the German Army for Operation Sea Lion . It was formed from a series of joined modules that could be towed into place and act as a temporary jetty. Moored ships could then unload their cargo either directly onto the "roadway" or lower it down onto it via their heavy-duty ship's booms.

The Seeschlange had been tested by the Army Training Unit at Le Havre in the fall of 1941 and was easily transportable by rail. [11] Naval escort The Regia Marina had the twofold task of protecting the invasion convoys from attacks by Britain's Mediterranean Fleet and providing off-shore gunfire support during the landings. The force assigned to accomplish this included four Italian battleships ( Littorio , Vittorio Veneto, Caio Duilio , Andrea Doria ), four heavy cruisers, eight light cruisers and 21 destroyers. These ships would sortie and assemble from the ports of Messina, Reggio Calabria, Augusta and Cagliari. The two older Duilio-class battleships would carry approximately 200 rounds each for shore bombardment missions. [6] Italian and German submarines were also to be deployed for scouting purposes and for intercepting any British naval forces attempting to interfere with the seaborne landings. One submarine was to be stationed midway between Sicily and Malta and act as a guide beacon for the transport planes on their way to and from the drop zones.

[6] The Italians were confident they could fend off any daylight incursions by Britain's Royal Navy, especially given the German Luftwaffe's ability to dominate the daytime skies, but there were legitimate concerns the Italian fleet would face serious difficulties if the British sought to disrupt the seaborne landings by night. [9] Lacking ship-borne radar and neglectful in providing night-fighting training and equipment to its naval forces, the Regia Marina had fared badly during a night action with British forces off Cape Matapan in March 1941. A similar encounter off Malta might wreak havoc on the slow-moving Axis invasion convoys, leaving the airborne forces cut off and imperiling Axis chances of taking the island.

[12] The Italian Navy had made some efforts to rectify this situation by equipping the battleship Littorio with an experimental E.C.-3/bis Gufo (Owl) radar apparatus in August 1941 but the unit was considered unreliable (not until September 1942 did Littorio receive a standardised production-version Gufo with better performance; this set could detect surface ships at a range of 17 nmi (31 km; 20 mi) and aircraft out to a range of 45 nmi (83 km; 52 mi)). [12] In September 1941, while awaiting production of Italian-made radar units in quantity, the Regia Marina requested from the Kriegsmarine installation of a FuMO 24/40 G DeTe unit on Italy's newest destroyer, Legionario (then still under construction). DeTe units could detect surface ships up to 14 nmi (26 km; 16 mi) away. By March 1942, the requested set had been delivered and installed and a small group of Italian ratings had undergone training in Germany on its use.

Operational testing began that spring and, by May, fleet commander Vice-Adm. Iachino had submitted a report praising its performance. [12] Malta's defences In 1942 the main garrison forces on Malta consisted of 15 infantry battalions (11 Commonwealth, 4 Maltese) organized into four brigades totaling 26,000 men. Armour support was provided by the 1st Independent Troop of the Royal Tank Regiment. This unit was initially equipped with four Matilda II "Infantry Tanks", armed with 2-pounder (40mm) guns and two Vickers Mk.VIC light tanks, armed with two machine guns (all tanks as part of detachments from the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 3rd The King's Own Hussars ), before being reinforced by an additional eight tanks (four Cruiser Mk I and three Cruiser Mk IV cruiser tanks, and one Vickers Mk.VIC light tank), with the cruiser tanks armed with 2-pounder (40mm) guns (all additional tanks were as part of a detachment from the 6th Royal Tank Regiment ).

[13] [14] Also on hand was the 12th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery . This unit had two dozen 25-pounder 3.45 in (88 mm) field guns, capable of providing indirect fire support out to a range of 11 km (6.8 mi) and covering most of the island while remaining in protected static positions. [15] Malta's fixed defences included 19 coastal guns (varying in size from 12-inch to 16-inch), 130 smaller coastal guns (4.5-inch to 9.2-inch), 112 heavy and 144 light anti-aircraft guns. [1] [4] The smaller coastal guns were composed of: [16] BL 9.2 in (230 mm) gun Mk X, on Mounting Mk 7 QF 4.5 in (110 mm) gun Mk II, on Mounting Mk I Fate A date near mid-July 1942 was set for the invasion, partly to allow time to bring troops from other frontline positions and partly because Hitler believed the Italian Navy was no match for the Royal Navy.

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel supported the idea of seizing Malta, to the point that he personally asked Hitler to allow him to command the invasion forces. His reasons for supporting an invasion were to hinder the Allied troops fighting in Africa, as well as remove the threat to the convoys heading to Rommel with supplies, oil, and men, of all which he was desperately low on. He put the emphasis on the attack to such an extreme that he was willing to move units from his front for the attack. The head of the German Luftwaffe , Hermann Göring , opposed the invasion, fearing it would turn into another near-disaster for his paratroops, as had happened on Crete. General Field Marshal Albert Kesselring tirelessly promoted Operation Herkules but even he was eventually dissuaded when it became apparent that too many air and ground units had been siphoned off to support Rommel's drive into Egypt, thereby significantly diminishing any chance of Herkules' success. This, along with Hitler's lack of faith in the paratrooper divisions as a result of the Invasion of Crete and in the Italian Navy's ability to protect the invasion fleet from British naval attacks, led to scrapping of the plan.

References Invasion of Sicily - World War II - HISTORY.com Invasion of Sicily A+E Networks Introduction After defeating Italy and Germany in the North African Campaign (November 8, 1942-May 13, 1943) of World War II (1939-45), the United States and Great Britain, the leading Allied powers, looked ahead to the invasion of occupied Europe and the final defeat of Nazi Germany. The Allies decided to move next against Italy, hoping an Allied invasion would remove that fascist regime from the war, secure the central Mediterranean and divert German divisions from the northwest coast of France where the Allies planned to attack in the near future. The Allies’ Italian Campaign began with the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. After 38 days of fighting, the U.S. and Great Britain successfully drove German and Italian troops from Sicily and prepared to assault the Italian mainland. Google The Allies Target Italy When the Allies won the North African Campaign on May 13, 1943, a quarter-million German and Italian troops surrendered at Tunisia, on the north coast of Africa.

With the huge Allied army and navy in the southern Mediterranean now freed for further action, British and American strategists faced two options: Transfer these forces north for the impending invasion of Europe from the English Channel, or remain in theater to strike at southern Italy, which British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) called “the soft underbelly of Europe.” At this crossroads, the Allies, after some dissension, decided to press north into Italy. The stepping stone to its mainland would be the island of Sicily, in part because the Allies could depend on fighter cover from air bases on British Malta, 60 miles south of Sicily and recently freed from a siege by Axis forces. Did You Know? British Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu (1901-1985), mastermind of Operation Mincemeat, described the ingenious counterintelligence operation in his 1954 book "The Man Who Never Was." A 1957 film of the same name featured Montagu in a cameo as a British intelligence officer critical of the plan. The invasion was assisted by some subterfuge.

In April 1943, a month before the Allied victory in North Africa, German agents recovered the body of a British Royal Marine pilot from the waters off a Spanish beach. Documents in an attaché case handcuffed to the officer’s wrist provided a goldmine of intelligence about the Allies’ secret plans, and German agents quickly sent the documents up the chain of command where they soon reached German leader Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). Hitler studied the captured plans carefully, and, taking full advantage of their top-secret details, directed his troops and ships to reinforce the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, west of Italy, against an impending Allied invasion. There was only one problem: The recovered body–which was not a Royal Marine but actually a homeless man from Wales who had committed suicide–and its documents, were an elaborate British diversion called Operation Mincemeat. By the time Hitler redirected his troops in the summer of 1943, a massive Allied invasion force was sailing to Sicily.

The Allies Land at Sicily The invasion of Sicily, code-named Operation Husky, began before dawn on July 10, 1943, with combined air and sea landings involving 150,000 troops, 3,000 ships and 4,000 aircraft, all directed at the southern shores of the island. This massive assault was nearly cancelled the previous day when a summer storm arose and caused serious difficulties for paratroopers dropping behind enemy lines that night. However, the storm also worked to the Allies’ advantage when Axis defenders along the Sicilian coast judged that no commander would attempt amphibious landings in such wind and rain. By the afternoon of July 10, supported by shattering naval and aerial bombardments of enemy positions, 150,000 Allied troops reached the Sicilian shores, bringing along 600 tanks. The landings progressed with Lieutenant General George S. Patton (1885-1945) commanding American ground forces and General Bernard L. Montgomery (1887-1976) leading British ground forces. Allied troops encountered light resistance to their combined operations.

Hitler had been so deceived by “Mincemeat” that he had left only two German divisions in Sicily to battle Allied soldiers. Even several days into the attack he was convinced that it was a diversionary maneuver and continued to warn his officers to expect the main landings at Sardinia or Corsica. The Axis defense of Sicily was also weakened by losses the German and Italian armies had suffered in North Africa, in casualties as well as the several hundred thousand troops captured at the end of the campaign. The Allies Advance For the next five weeks, Patton’s army moved toward the northwestern shore of Sicily, then east toward Messina, protecting the flank of Montgomery’s veteran forces as they moved up the east coast of the island. Meanwhile, jarred by the Allied invasion, the Italian fascist regime fell rapidly into disrepute, as the Allies had hoped. On July 24, 1943, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) was deposed and arrested.

A new provisional government was set up under Marshal Pietro Badoglio (1871-1956), who had opposed Italy’s alliance with Nazi Germany and who immediately began secret discussions with the Allies about an armistice. On July 25, the day after Mussolini’s arrest, the first Italian troops began withdrawing from Sicily. Hitler instructed his forces to make contingency plans for withdrawal but to continue to fight fiercely against the Allied advance. As July turned to August, Patton and Montgomery and their armies battled against determined German troops dug into the mountainous Sicilian terrain. The U.S. and British soldiers pushed back the Axis forces farther and farther until most were trapped in a northeast corner of the island. Axis Troops Leave Sicily As Patton and Montgomery closed in on the northeastern port of Messina, the German and Italian armies managed (over several nights) to evacuate 100,000 men, along with vehicles, supplies and ammunition, across the Strait of Messina to the Italian mainland. When his American soldiers moved into Messina on August 17, 1943, Patton, expecting to fight one final battle, was surprised to learn that the enemy forces had disappeared.

The battle for Sicily was complete, but German losses had not been severe, and the Allies’ failure to capture the fleeing Axis armies undermined their victory. The advance against the Italian mainland in September would take more time and cost the Allies more troops than they anticipated. Tags

Question: During World War II, the German 'Operation Hercules' was a plan to invade which island?
Answer: MALTA